Billie holiday children
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What Makes Billie Holiday Great?
Billie Holiday has one of the most distinctive voices of all time; she inspired many artists; Frank Sinatra, Andra Day, Nina Simone, Joni Mitchell, Janis Joplin and Etta James. But why is her voice so relevant over 60s years after her death in 1959? What makes Billie Holiday so great?
I’ve picked some songs that I think show Billie’s vocal journey and explain why she connected to many people. To understand Billie and her voice, you need to understand her journey, so rather than heading straight to her later work, I’m going to start at the beginning.
Riffin’ The Scotch (1933)
At age 17, Billie worked as a singer for a few years in Nightclubs in Harlem. It was here where she cut her teeth, moving between tables, singing for hours and improvising melodies as she went, something that became a feature in her vocal style. Soon she was asked to replace singer Monette Moore at a club called Coven. One night record producer and talent scout John Hammond who loved Monette Moores voice, turned up to listen to her. Instead, he found Billie
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Billie Holiday
Dripping with raw emotion, Billie Holiday’s sultry vocals stirred the soul… and society.
If I'm going to sing like someone else, then I don't need to sing at all.
1. She wasn’t guessing when it came to emotion
Billie had a troubled childhood. Abandoned by her father and often separated from her mother, she was looked after by a succession of carers. She experienced neglect, physical abuse and sexual assault. By 1929 Billie had moved to New York and found herself working in a brothel until she eventually started singing for tips in the 1930s. This harsh introduction to the world informed the emotional depths Holiday could reach – though there was much more than misery to Billie’s beautiful, stirring performances.
2. She got lucky
Billie’s first big break came when she was spotted by Columbia Records’ John Hammond who would go on to sign Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen amongst others. He’d actually seen Holiday by chance when she was filling in for a then better-known performer. Astonished by her sensual
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Billie Holiday
American jazz singer (1915–1959)
This article is about the singer. For her self-titled 1954 album, see Billie Holiday (album). For the 1959 album originally titled Billie Holiday, see Last Recording.
Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made a significant contribution to jazz music and pop singing. Her vocal style, strongly influenced by jazz instrumentalists, inspired a new way of manipulating phrasing and tempo. She was known for her vocal delivery and improvisational skills.
After a turbulent childhood, Holiday began singing in nightclubs in Harlem where she was heard by producer John Hammond, who liked her voice. She signed a recording contract with Brunswick in 1935. Her collaboration with Teddy Wilson produced the hit "What a Little Moonlight Can Do", which became a jazz standard. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Holiday had mainstream success on labels such as Columbia and Decca. By the late 1
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